Britain sees wettest February on record as Storm Jorge brings further flooding and strong winds

Three successive storms have battered Britain – prompting the Met Office to brand this month the wettest February on record.

Thanks to storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge, the country has seen an average of 202.1mm of rainfall over the month, surpassing the previous record of February 1990 when 193.4mm fell, the Met Office said.

The rainfall saw numerous rivers burst their banks following record river levels in the Midlands, Yorkshire and Lancashire – with severe “danger to life” flood alerts issued.

Across the country 90 flood warnings are currently still in place alongside 215 flood alerts.

And following rainfall from Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis, it was estimated that up to 3,300 homes in England had been flooded, and a further 1,000 homes in Wales – with much of the country bracing for further damage from adverse weather conditions as Storm Jorge threatened to bring gusts of up to 70mph on Saturday night.

Winds from Storm Jorge were expected to peak on Saturday night, with coastguard chiefs issuing warnings to keep away from harbour walls, cliffs and exposed beaches during the storm.

Ireland is expected to bear the brunt of the winds. Galway and County Clare have been issued with red warnings, however it is expected that the high winds will tail off into Sunday. Meanwhile parts of Scotland were told to expect possibly heavy snowfall.

Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, Frank Saunders said: “From Saturday Storm Jorge will bring strong winds and heavy rain to parts of the UK, with potentially heavy snowfall being a hazard for parts of Scotland.

“Areas above 400 metres could see accumulations of 20-30 cm of snow, with lower areas, roughly above 250 metres, seeing accumulations of up to 10 cm.

“On Saturday and Sunday, the majority of the UK is covered by Yellow weather warnings with some areas being covered by more than one warning, indicating multiple weather hazards.”